New branding study to help Columbus define image

Experience Columbus has hired a research company to determine what people throughout the country think of the city - or whether they think of it at all.

Steve Wartenberg, The Columbus Dispatch

Experience Columbus has hired a research company to determine what people throughout the country think of the city — or whether they think of it at all.

“I’ve seen a lot of these efforts,” and the results have been strikingly similar, said Doug Kridler, president and CEO of the Columbus Foundation.

“Two times (before), they came in and said: ‘We have good news and bad news for you,’” Kridler said. “‘The bad news is, we found Columbus doesn’t have a consistent image, and the good news is, you’re starting with a blank slate.’”

Now, the groups promoting the city want to unite behind one message — and have decided it’s time for a new survey, Kridler and Experience Columbus officials said.

The city’s reputation is on the rise as more people visit for business and vacations, and the desire is there to keep the momentum building.

Amy Tillinghast, vice president of marketing for Experience Columbus, said: “We’ve had all these great national and international events here recently — the Presidents Cup (golf tournament), the U.S.A. and Mexico World Cup (soccer) qualifier, the Arnold Festival every year, and we’re going after the Republican and Democratic national conventions (in 2016), and the sports commission is going after the women’s (college basketball) Final Four.”

Experience Columbus, the city’s convention and visitors bureau, recently awarded a $200,000 contract to study the city’s image to GfK, an international research company based in Germany.

“As we do more national campaigns, we need to understand our audiences,” Tillinghast said.

The new study will be broader in scope than those in the past, Tillinghast said, and GfK will survey 2,500 people, including visitors to the city and frequent travelers.

“This is research that informs a city so it can create their branding,” said Mark Keida, GfK Custom Research North America’s senior research director. He works in the company’s Washington, D.C., office and is a Worthington native.

The company recently conducted a study for Denver.

“When you think of Denver, you think of the outdoors and mountains and sports,” Keida said. “But their culinary culture really stood out as an asset that’s emerging and isn’t fully recognized, and Columbus is the same way.”

Keida is not sure what the survey will say about the image of Columbus, or whether the nation knows much about the city. “I’m really curious, in six months, when our research is complete, what people think of Columbus,” Keida said. “It’s not about making the city something it’s not, but to identify those things — such as the fashion industry and foodie culture and diversity in the workforce — that are already here.”

Partners in the project include the city and Franklin County, the Columbus Foundation, Columbus 2020, the Columbus Chamber and Ohio State University.

“GfK will do the research that will help inform our branding message to be more distinct and motivate folks who could bring business here,” Tillinghast said.

Much work remains “to change the perception and attract talent and young professionals,” said Brian Ross, CEO of Experience Columbus.

The goal isn’t just to bring more conventions and meetings here, Tillinghast said, but also to attract top students, businesses and residents.

Once completed, the GfK research will be presented to the study’s partners at a series of workshops.

“The goal is for everyone to learn and for this to inform what everyone is doing in their marketing efforts,” Tillinghast said. “We’re already running national campaigns; this will make them smarter.”

A 2005 study by the Columbus Chamber found that a majority of American chief executives didn’t think of the region when asked to name good places in which to do business.

In preparation for the Columbus bicentennial in 2012, Kridler helped lead a team tasked with promoting the city.

This was the basis for the “Smart and Open” campaign. Organized by the mayor’s office, it touted the city’s wealth of high-tech companies, the nationally ranked zoo, the COSI Columbus science museum, the library system and “how diverse we are and welcoming to the gay population,” Kridler said.

The campaign continues, he said, adding that it is time to update the information on which the city’s brand is based to improve the message.

“You need a baseline of information that will be useful to everyone,” he said. “I think we’ve turned a corner, and there’s an awareness of Columbus that’s never been there before, that we’re growing and dynamic and diverse and open.”

swartenberg@dispatch.com

@stevewartenberg

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